This thread is for people to discuss, ask questions and read responses about what their character knows, doesn't know, is or isn't. Try to avoid in-game spoilers if you can but sometimes you just gotta know (we're not super fussed about that stuff here, just make an effort and we're happy).

I'll start off with some basics:

Your character knows how to speak their primary language (almost certainly English), knows that it's CALLED English, and even knows what their accent would be described as. However, you don't know what England is, or WHAT or WHERE the places your accent are from are. You just KNOW that you're speaking English with a Scottish Accent, despite not knowing what England or Scotland are.

Your character has no knowledge of real world geography. If you learn about something from the real world in game, you can know it from there, and there may be certain events and other metaplot driven activities that advance this point. Until told otherwise, you don't know.

Your character has no recollection of any of their own personal history at all. You do not recall your parents, your siblings, anyone you may have known, or any event in your life before waking up in the Lab. However, you confidently and innately know your name, your birthday and your age.

You know how to do certain things (your skills) but it probably doesn't occur to your character until they try to do something or at the very least are prompted about the thing. So for example you don't wake up knowing that you can fight and craft candlesticks, but you might notice that you have good reflexes to impending trouble and infer that later on. Of course, once you use the skill, you know you can do it.

In addition to having no knowledge of geography, you have no memory of human history. You do not remember historical figures, historical empires, or anything of the sort. However, you would understand the -concept- of history, and if you were to hear a particular word associated with a historical concept you would gain GENERAL knowledge of the meaning behind that word. For example, someone calls someone in your presence a "Neanderthal". You won't know anything about what a Neanderthal is or the origins of the species, but you would know that calling someone a Neanderthal means they're primitive, brutish, unsophisticated etc.

You are allowed to have general knowledge about topics a person from approximately the 1970s would have. For example, you can understand things like what a microwave is for, know OF things like vacuum cleaners or automobiles. You don't know specific brands, companies, inventors, or even the sequence in which things were invented, but you can still know the products.

You don't know any of the other people you meet in the lab beforehand. There are no preexisting relationships unless we advise you of them.

We don't mind if on subsequent characters, you somewhat abbreviate the whole "Shit, where am I, what is going on?" phase if you've already done it to death on another character. We'd like you to be realistic, but we don't expect you to dwell on it over and over as that's not great fun gameplay.

A quick clarification -- you don't have to be a completely blank canvas here. Your PC can believe they know things about geography, philosophy, historical figures, etc., but there is absolutely no promise that what they believe is canon in the game's metaplot.

My character is pretty heavy in themes of black inner-city narratives and calling out racism (often times inaccurately). Are the traditional narratives of blackness, racism, etc as seen in real life okay to be drawn on? For example, would it be thematic for a black character to call out a white character for using the N word? Even if it's only a vague sense of "You shouldn't be using that word. Idk why. But don't."

Edit: I suppose this is as good a place to ask as any, before I get too attached to my character and then end up getting censored. Are these type of narratives okay to explore within the rules of your game? My intention isn't to harass people, but racial issues have a way of making people feel uniquely uncomfortable. I feel it's something that shouldn't be swept under the rug, or censored, personally. But I also understand that I'm appropriating the fuck out of a narrative. It seems you guys are pretty okay, if your coded representation of it as a flaw is anything to judge by.